While teenagers spend a lot of time watching the latest videos on social media and new Netflix content, many still enjoy the short episodes and bright universes cartoons have to offer — whether the shows are designed for teens and young adults or are just a great watch for everyone. Here are our top current cartoon picks for teenagers.
‘Invincible’ (2021), 9/10 stars
Created by Robert Kirkman and based off of comics by Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Invincible is a dark animated science fiction show that takes place in the DC Universe. With its third season in the works, Invincible focuses on Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet, and his 17-year-old son Mark Grayson, who is developing powers of his own. Mark soon finds his dad’s legacy isn’t as glamorous as it seems. The show has a 99% general score on Rotten Tomatoes, while IMDb rated this show an 8.7 out of 10. We give Invincible a 9 out of 10 in part because of the many friends and even siblings who bond over watching and simply cannot wait for season three.
‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ (2023), 7/10 stars
This is a recent adaptation of the comic book series Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, written by Bryan Lee O’Malley. As with many adaptations, it would make sense for the franchise to grow sour, but through O’Malley’s transmedia storytelling, each addition only refines and develops the characters and world more. The show revolves around Scott Pilgrim pursuing the woman of his dreams — quite literally. Through this pursuit he drags his friends through the trials of beating the seven evil exes of his dream girl, Ramona Flowers, in a video game-based reality. This version of the story finally adds more dimension to Ramona’s character, whereas in other adaptations she was simply a trophy for Scott to win. It’s less of a retelling and more of a new perspective. With an overall IMDb rating of 7.8 and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 86%, we give this refresh a 7 out of 10 for its original take.
‘Inside Job’ (2021), 6.9/10 stars
Writer and animator Shion Takeuchi has written for many shows but is best known for Gravity Falls (2012) and Regular Show (2010), both easy classics for early 2000s kids. With the same art style but a more young adult-type humor, the Netflix original Inside Job came to be. The show’s main character, Reagan Ridley, an unsociable genius, works with a bunch of misfits at a shadow government organization charged with of covering up conspiracy theories — many of which are real in this imagined world. At work, Reagan faces all the consequences of her father’s former power as CEO of the organization. With a 7.7 out of 10 from IMDb and a Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating of 79%, the show was really popular on debut but not nearly as big as Netflix’s other shows at the time. Sadly, with no upcoming seasons, we give this show a 6.9 out of 10. Inside Job is an amazing setup for something great but only leaves you wanting more when there’s nothing else to give.
‘The Looney Tunes Show’ (2011), 8.1/10 stars
In 1930, the world saw the iconic cartoon Looney Tunes, which released new shorts for nearly 40 years before ending. Looney Tunes got a new reboot with The Looney Tunes Show, which ran until 2014. The reboot sees the original characters becoming a bit more modern, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales starring in adventures. While The Looney Tunes Show ended nearly a decade ago, short episodes of the comedy show are still airing on numerous streaming platforms. This reboot has a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 81%. We give the show a similar score with 8.1 out of 10 — the original still has some better comedy.
‘Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir’ (2015), 6.8/10 stars
Created by Thomas Astruc, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is a show many teens grew up watching and still follow. It revolves around teen superheroes in Paris who often find themselves trying to defeat the supervillain Hawk Moth, who uses the negative emotions of civilians to put them under his control. The show has many dramatic elements and some child-friendly romantic episodes that show how the characters respond to one another, along with revealing why Hawk Moth works well as a villain. With five seasons on Disney+ and Netflix, Miraculous has rung up an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, we give this show a 6.8 out of 10. Though it’s a fun watch, the plot can be scattered and unclear.
‘Bluey’ (2018), 9.5/10 stars
The blue 6-year-old heeler puppy Bluey seems to need no introduction for many who love her. Bluey takes place in Australia and features the main character, who plays games with her family and friends. Made by Joe Brumm and airing on the BBC, this show is well-designed to help younger audiences process real-life topics like death, post-traumatic stress disorder and infertility in ways that are fun and easy to understand. The show has a surprisingly low Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 72%; we, however, give it a 9.5 out of 10 with high hopes for the new episodes set to air on Disney+ soon.
Aurora Sandoval is a freshman at New Mexico School for the Arts. Contact them at rorybear001@gmail.com. Maricia Gallegos is a junior at Capital High School. Email at maxxii.g06@gmail.com.
The Santa Fe New Mexican observes its 175th anniversary with a series highlighting some of the major stories and figures that have appeared in the paper's pages through its history. The collection also includes archival photo galleries.
